World Meteorological Organization

On 11 October 2024, WMO Regional Office for Europe took an active role in the Webinar on Building Capacities and and Regional Exchange on Operationalizing a Holistic Approach to Transform Food Systems Sustainably in Europe and Central Asia. The event was organized by the Regional UN Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) on Sustainable Development System, with participation from a wide array of UN agencies, including UNECE, FAO, UNESCO, UNDP, WHO, IOM, WFP, and the UN Development Cooperation Office for Europe and Central Asia.

The webinar, convened in response to demands from UN Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, focused on the challenges of transforming food systems to be sustainable, resilient, and climate-adaptive. A key part of the discussions revolved around addressing the lack of data linking climate change and food systems, which remains a critical barrier to driving effective transformation.

Mrs. Natalia Berghi who is a member of the Regional IBC for Europe and Central Asia, delivered a key statement during the roundtable tackling these data challenges. In her address, Mrs. Berghi highlighted the pivotal role of the WMO Unified Data Policy in promoting open and unrestricted data-sharing across sectors and borders. This approach is vital to transforming food systems and improving their resilience to climate change across the region.

"The lack of data linking climate change and food systems can be addressed by fostering greater inter-agency collaboration, improving data accessibility, and integrating climate and agricultural information," Mrs. Berghi highlighted. She underscored that WMO’s unified data-sharing framework is instrumental in supporting interdisciplinary research and innovative models that link climate variables to food production and security.

Mrs. Berghi's statement also called for continuous investment in modernizing data infrastructure. Such efforts will help ensure that data-sharing capabilities evolve to meet future climate risks and that governments and international organizations can enhance their decision-making frameworks and early warning systems.

The discussions also referred to the Technical Note on Sustainable Food Systems, a joint publication of the Issue-Based Coalition on Sustainable Food Systems. This technical note outlines a holistic approach to transforming food systems, offering practical recommendations for achieving sustainability while addressing climate challenges.

WMO’s participation in this webinar, alongside other UN agencies, underscores its commitment to advancing regional cooperation and capacity building in Europe and Central Asia. Through collaborative efforts like these, WMO continues to support the integration of climate data into agricultural systems, contributing to the long-term sustainability and resilience of food systems in the region.